Wire-rope grip



( No Model.) 2 shets sheefi 1.

' A. H. MATHESIUS.

WIRE ROPE GRIP.

Patented Mar. 18, 1890.

N. PETERS. Phflwlithngnphar. Washington. D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER H. MATI-IESIUS,

OF BROOKLYN, NEWV YORK.

WIRE-ROPE GRIP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 423,694, dated March 18, 1890. Application filed December 6, 1883. Serial No. 113,669. (No model.)

1'0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER H. MATHE- sIUs, of Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wire-Rope Grips, of which the following is a full, clear,

and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked'thereon.

My invention has relation to that class of devices employed for connecting cars with moving wire ropes or cables by which the cars are propelled, such devices being ordinarily known as wire-rope grips or cablegrips.

The object of my invention-is to produce a simple, compact, durable, and effective grip of the character above named,by use of which the cable may be securely clamped without danger of slipping or damage to the cable or grip, wherein the cable and grip may be easily and quickly located, so as to assume their proper working positions with respectto each other, to adapt the grip for use in connection with either surface or tunnel cables, and to secure all the advantages of the die-grip and roller-grip in one apparatus.

To secure these advantages and others my improvements involve certain novel and useful arrangements or combinations of parts, peculiarities of construction, and principles of operation, all of which will be herein first fully described, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation, Fig. 2 a top or plan View, and Fig.

'3 an end elevation and partial section, of a grip constructed and arranged for operation in accordance with my invention, parts being broken out in each figure to facilitate the illustration. Fig. 4 represents an edge View, top view, and cross-section of the movable die, and bottom and end View of the adj usting-nut applied therein. Fig. 5 represents a side view and plan of the lever-connections for closing and opening the grip. Fig. 6 is an elevation showing an arrangement of parts forelevating the rope or cable to the grip;' Fig. 7, a sectional elevation of the same arrangement, showing the elevating a wheel turned to one side; and Fig. 8, a top or plan showing how the same may be operated by an eccentric instead of by the link and pin shown. in Fig. 5. Fig. 11 is a section of a fragment of one of the rollers or dies and the rope located therein, showing how the roller or die may be cut or formed under some circumstances' Fig. 12 represents an end view and a top or plan view of means adapted to operate the grip when used in connection with a rope running in a tunnel, and an elevation of lever and toggle for transmitting motion to the grip-operating devices. Fig. 13 isa cross-section and partial elevation of the grip upon a scale enlarged beyond pre vious figures, the view being taken upon a plane passing through one of the sustainingscrews. Fig. 14. is a perspective view of a fragment of the grip, showing the arrangement of the die and the top and bottom plates operating in connection therewith. r

In all these figures like letters and figures of reference, wherever they occur, indicate corresponding parts.

A A represent the frame, of any approved size and form, the same being substantially braced and properly secured beneath the car, as by arms B B.

O C and O O are the rollers of the grip, and D D the dies thereof, the dies being located between the rollers and all mounted .upon the jaws E E, which approach and recede from each other in order to effect the clamping and unclamping. 4

F F are cylindrical uprights serving to guide the gripping mechanism in its up-anddown movements, the uprights passing through suitable openings in the guide-blocks H H, which are rigidly secured to the stringpieces G G, the string-pieces being secured to the links 30, and by them to the grip proper.

I is a cross-piece, from which the gripping mechanism is suspended by means of bolts or rods 1' I, of which the lower ends are secured to the links 30 and the upper ends to crosspiece I, the bolts being supplied with suitable nuts for regulating the height of the grip and ICO be adjusted;

maintaining it in any place to which may K is a connecting-rod, which unites'the cross-piece Iwith a crank K upon a horizontal shaft K By revolving the shaft K it is plain that the grip will bemade (through its connection with the shaft) to rise or fall, according to the direction of rotation of the shaft.

Various means may be adopted for rotating the shaft'according to circumstancesas, for

instance, a simple lever, as K shown at the right, or a pair of bevel-wheels, as at K K and shaft K at the left of Fig.1; or any other suitable mechanical appliance may be adopted for the purpose.

The grip is opened, then lowered by the means above described until it embraces the cable, then partially closed and elevated to its properposition, carrying the cable with it. The advantages of thus cennectingwith the cable, raising it by means applied to or on the car, and dispensing with other appliances independent of the carwill be readily appreciated.

Each of the jaws E is provided on its upper face with a central perforated lug 20 and with perforated ears 21, disposed in line with said lug a short distance therefrom, and a bolt 6 extends through said lugs and ears. The two jaws E E are connectedby couplinglinks. 3.0, hinged at their opposite ends to the bolts 6, between the central lug and the ears,

. said bolts constituting the pintles on which the jaws swing, as shown in Fig. 1.

Ahorizontal lever M is fulcrumedto the lug ofone of the jaws E, and a horizontal thrust-screw N is secured to the lug in the other jaw. The mner end of the lever M is provided with an anti-friction roller m, which bears against the head of the thrust-screw N. A link N is connected at one endwith the lug containing the thrust-screw and atthe other endwith the inner end of the lever M, as indicated by dotted'lines ated, as described in my patent, No. 287,451, dated October 30,1883. The lever M is intended to be extended to any convenient positionandto be moved by any suitable mech-' anism. The head'of the thrustscrew N has are-versed curve,'as shown in Fig. 5, the curve being struck with a radius equal to the distance from the bearing-point of wheel m to the center of the fulcrum about which lever M turns The link N connectsv one of the ,hingedjaws with the inner end of lever M, so

thatby shifting the lever from side. to side the twojaws are. compelled to move.

LL are guide-rollers mounted in the string pieces. G G, one on each end of the grip. The

.. .axes l l of these rollers are eccentrics, and are made .to turn upon bolts, as Z Z, by which they are clamped and held in any position to which they maybe adjusted. By' suitably adjusting the axes upon the bolts the rollers are made to run at the required level; These rollers are for the purpose of preventing the gripfrom being lowered too far, (as they will arrest the descentof the grip as soon as they strike the cable,) and also to direct the cable so that it will run in perfect line between the rollers and dies of the grip, thus constituting a perfect guide. For this purpose the rollers L .L are grooved to accommodate the cable and thus keep it in line between them. In case the cable is elevated to the grip these rollers L L will prevent, it from beingcarried up'too far, and thereby enable the cable to be properly located in the grip by automatic cable-lifts.

The rollers C O and O C are groovedfor clamped thereon. A scoring of a die'wasshown in my previous patent above named, wherein the die was made movable in ways provided for it. invention I score the roller, which turns upon a central axis, or otherwise provide the rollers with a scored bearing for contact with the cable. This feature is applicable upon any form of roller-grip, or grip wherein rollers are employed, and it will .be observed that it is not dependent upon anymeans of suspending the grip.

The means shown for operating the grip will (so far as they are alone concerned) be quite as effective in case the scoring beomitted or in case the die or roller be made as in- Fig. 11, so that the rope or cable Q will wedge into the groove provided for it in the wheel or die represented at Die D is fixed to its jaw and moves as its jaw moves, but its opposite or mate'- receives its motion partly through the medium of" the jaw with which it is connected and partly through the medium of a crank or-eccentric, which is fittedto the lower end of a shaft M,

and which is guided by a suitable perforation in the jaw. The movablefdi e'i's composed of a center plate d, which is an extension of the According to this part of my ICC bearing-face of the die, and top. and, bottom plates d d. The center plate is perforated to receive the link I), of which one end is fitted to the lower end of shaft M. and the other end to plates (1' d by pin br Adjusting-nut g is also fitted to plates'd d. Setscrew 9 passes through the center plateand enters the adjusting-nut g. Link I); being held at one endby the lower end of shaft M,

which is guided by jaw E, and at the other end by pinb, which: connects plates. d! d it is evident. that if set-screwy: isturned' ina V manner. to screw it into adjustingnut which is connected with plates d cl, it will or eccentric f, (seeFig. 5,) upon which is ap-.

plied a link I) for moving the adjustable plates d. The arrangement is such that as the le ver is shifted toward either side the link I) will draw the bearing-face back from contact withfthe cable; but While the lever is in its central position and before it is shifted to one side far enough to remove its roller m from contact with the reverse curve of thrustscrew N the face d will be forced more or less into contact with the cable.

The pin b enters the perforations b in the plates (1' and connects the link therewith. Instead of 7 using the link and pin, the'end of shaft M might be made to directly enter a slot prepared for it in the sliding plates, as indicated in Fig. 10. Being thus-arranged, the rollers C O O C are forced into contact with the cable by shifting lever M toward its central position, and the car is forced to gradually acquire the speed of the cable. Vhen this takes place, further shifting of the lever closes plate d against the cable, and the latter is then securely clamped between the dies, and there can be no possibility of slipp n When required to release the cable, the dies are first released by shifting the lever M, and then the rollers are released by further shiftin g. This successiveaction takes place Without special attention on the part of the operator, who has only to move the" one lever for the purpose of properly tightening or loosening the grip.

In'liig; 9 the jaws E E are supposed to carry the gripping mechanism. They are operated by a lazy-tongs, as plainly shown,which means may be applied under some circumstances. By applying the power through the medium of a rod,as at h, the same power will produce more working eflect in closing than in opening the jaws,'and the reverse by applying it through a rod, as h. r A rod, as h ,'may be applied to secure advantages in the direction of movement. The lazy-tongs are advantageous on account of 1 the many different directions from whichthe power maybe applied, and they are specially advantageous for operating the grip in the tunnel systems. In these systems compactness is essential. The grip may be arranged substantially as indicated in Fig. 12, wherein the jaws E E (supposeclto carry the gripping mechanism) are" operated by a lever moving directly over the. grip, rather than at one side of it, as in Fig. 3.

M represents the operating-rod, by raising and lowering which the jaws are moved. It is connected by any suitable toggle-joint n with lever M, (the side extension of which isomitted,) and this joint is hinged, as at n, so as to permitthe jaws to swing.

In Figs. 6, 7, and 8, P is an elevating-roller for lifting the cable 0 to the grip. It is hung upon an arm p, journaled in a swinging shaft 19', which is hinged, as at 19 This cable-raising mechanism may be affixed to the car or to the grip thereunder in any suitable way, or it might be arranged at any convenient part of the track. By swinging the shaft p it is plain that the cable will be raised. It is then clamped by the grip, when the wheel P must be swung-to one side to get it out of the way. For this purpose the arm 19 is j ournaled in shaft 19, as at 19 and is supplied with a lever 19, by which it may be swung to one side; The lever for swinging may be variously applied.

The mechanism constructed and arranged substantially as above set forth will be found to be effective, durable, and not liable to get out of order, and generally to answer'all the purposes or objects of the invention, as before set forth.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is- I 1. The herein-described gripping-roller, the groove in which is scoredat the bottom part, leaving plain margins, substantially as shown and described.

2. The guiding-rollers hung upon adjustable axes and combined with the gripping mechanism, substantially as shown and described.

3. A die composed of a center plate d, provided with a bearing-face, and the top and bottom plates 01, an adjusting-nut g, connected to the plates d, and aset-screw 9, passing through the center plate and entering the adj usting-nut.

4. In a cable or wire-rope grip, the gripping mechanism'su'spended and guided substantially as explained, and a connecting-rod and revolving shaft combined with'said gripping mechanism for raising and loweringthe same,

'substantiallyas and fo'r'the purposes set forth.

. 5. In combination with the jaws carrying the gripping mechanism, the lazy-tongs applied thereto for moving. the same,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the'forego'ingl have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER H. MATHESIUS. \Vitnesses: i WORTH Oscooo,

JoHN B QK'LER,

IIO 

